Road to Freedom
by Toadflame
Summary: After the movie. Speed's back to racing, but he just doesn't feel the same thrill as he did during his time as a cross-country track racer. Speed/Trixie
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! I watched the ****Speed Racer**** FINALLY, and decided to add my own two-cents to this fandom. So, here it is! **_**Road to Freedom**_**!**

**This is probably the longest note you'll receive from me, with shorter ones in future chapters. It's uncertain how far this is going yet, but as I have the plans on paper and in my head, you shouldn't wait more than a few days per update.**

**I honestly don't care about the type of response I get, or if I get any at all; I'm writing this purely for my own enjoyment and to get some more stories out into this wonderful fandom.**

**Without further ado then, **_**Road to Freedom!**_

* * *

"_I'd love an answer, Trixie, as to why track racing doesn't seem the same!"_

-Speed Racer, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

The announcer's voice was a mumble in Speed's ear as he sat on the bench in front of his locker, concentration instead on the course. He'd raced it before; it wouldn't be too difficult to do it again.

Trixie, Speed's girlfriend, came in and sat next to him for just a moment. "Good luck out there Speed," she whispered in the near silence, save for Speed's and her own breathing.

Speed turned and gave her a wry half-smile. "Thanks, Trix," he said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Just don't let them beat you up too badly out there," she said, standing and gently hugging him. She then turned and left the room.

When he was alone, Speed muttered, "Easier said than done."

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

_The Mach 6 was racing well today_, Pops Racer decided as he watched his son, currently second and battling for the lead. Beside him, Spritle and Chim Chim each had a set of binoculars, which they were currently using to track Speed's progress.

"I think he's gonna win, Pops," Spritle said as the cars raced overhead on the track.

"Eh, there's still a lot of race left," Pops muttered as he checked his stopwatch yet again.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Speed's brow furrowed as he continued to batter against the other car in an attempt for first. Whoever this driver was, they were good. And they weren't ready to give up the lead yet.

With an almost sickening lurch, coupled with a huge crunch, the other car slammed against the Mach 6, sending it spinning into a tailspin, which Speed controlled easily, using his momentum to catch the back end of the other car, sending it spinning as well.

As Speed and the other driver came around, both front windshields facing each other, Speed saw the frustration and slight fear etched into the other's face under the helmet. At least what little of the driver's face he could see gave him a hint as to what the other was thinking.

As Speed righted himself, no longer spinning, he saw the other driver doing the same. But a push on the gas pedal sent Speed into the lead.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Even with the win, Speed wasn't feeling the excitement of a win. It seemed…ordinary, almost. As if you took your most non-exciting day and applied it to the win.

Of course, Speed smiled and was genuinely happy. But inside, he wasn't feeling as much of the emotion he was showing.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Speed and Trixie were in the Mach 6 on the hill just above the city. Speed had made sure that Spritle and Chim Chim weren't in the car before they'd left.

They sat there, holding hands and quietly watching stars wink into existence and the lights of the homes going out one by one as dusk continued to fall.

"I just don't get it," Speed murmured to himself, quiet enough that he thought Trixie wouldn't hear him.

"What? Why you weren't so excited at the track today?" Trixie murmured back, squeezing his hand lightly.

"How'd you know?" Speed asked, looking over at her.

She smiled, a small, sad look to her face. "Oh Speed," she sighed. "I know you better than you think some days."

He gave up a small grin, but didn't say anything.

"But as for why, I do believe I have an answer," she said, then amended, "If you want it."

"I'd love an answer, Trixie, as to why track racing doesn't seem the same!" Speed answered, removing his hand from hers and propping himself sideways in his seat.

"Isn't it obvious?" When Speed shook his head, she continued. "You've fallen for cross-country racing."

* * *

**This probably seems choppy since I sat down to type this at least five times and only got a couple words for most of the stuff after the win, but not during Speed and Trixie's heart-to-heart.**

**Again, I don't mind the response, and any at all would be good. Chapters are written mostly in advance, so you shouldn't wait too long. But my plans keep getting longer, with more surprises in store.**

**I hope the win's emotion came through all right and that I'm using the right terminology. Someone spotting any errors I may have committed would be appreciated as I don't have a beta.**

**Also, each chapter will have a quote from that chapter as a 'summary' of sorts for that chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here it is: **_**Road to Freedom**_** chapter 2!**

* * *

"_Tell me what you want to do then."_

"_I want…to race cross-country full-time."_

-Speed and Trixie, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

After Speed and Trixie's little talk, they showed no outward sign of anything out of the ordinary, yet everyone could tell there was some form of tension between them.

As for them, they continued as they normally did; however, they made no mentions of racing or what Speed planned to do for the future. They went out, had fun, but didn't talk about anything related to racing.

Finally, the silence could be taken no longer. Ironically, it was Speed who made the first move.

He and Trixie left, as they normally did, but they did not go to their usual spot on the hill. They went out of the city, well into the country, until they came to a small lake surrounded by trees. They parked by the landing and watched the sunset over the water. As soon as it was gone, Speed turned to Trixie.

"I think I may have reached the point I need, but I need to run it past you first."

"OK. OK, Speed. Tell me what you want to do then."

"I want…to race cross-country full-time."

Trixie nodded. "I had a feeling you'd say that. I'll support you, of course, and we'll work through this together. I know you, you just want to help those affected by the corruption in the businesses."

"That's something else I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Before you say anything, just hear me out."

Trixie shifted so she was facing Speed, and he gently took her hand and pressed his mouth to her hand.

"Trixie, you're the only one who has stood by me, no matter my decision. You helped me when we were trying to take down Royalton, and when I joined with the Inspector Detector and Racer X, and took over for Taejo when he was drugged, and you did it without questioning anything, or putting a fuss over anything. And I can't imagine my life without you."

Trixie had tears in her eyes, and she was already nodding yes as Speed removed a velvet black box from his pocket. He handed it to her, both their hands shaking, Speed's just a little more so.

"Trixie, beautiful, my love, the only one I want to spend my life with, will you marry me?"

Trixie opened the box to find a ring, a small silver band with diamonds and a few emeralds, pillowed inside.

"Yes, of course!" she cried, placing it on her finger and hugging Speed around his neck, and they kissed passionately beside the lake with the sunset trapped inside.

Unfortunately for them, Spritle and Chim Chim chose that moment to make their entrance.

"Yes!" Spritle cheered, hugging the pet chimpanzee, who cackled in agreement.

Speed and Trixie broke apart to glare at the stowaways. "What are you two doing here?" Speed practically growled, coming around to stand over his younger brother.

"It was his idea!" Spritle shouted, pointing at Chim Chim, who pointed right back at Spritle.

"I don't care whose idea it was, you two are in serious trouble!" Speed shouted, pointing back to the trunk.

"Now Speed," Trixie began, laying a hand on her now-fiancé's arm. "They just wanted to see you propose."

Speed sighed. Between the look of Trixie and the imploring look his brother and his brother's pet were giving him, he was starting to give in. "All right, all right," he said. "Just, get in the car and we'll go home." He turned and went to shut the trunk.

"Yes!" Spritle crowed, climbing in to sit in the driver's seat. Chim Chim climbed into Trixie's lap as soon as she sat down. She immediately hugged the chimp with a fond smile on her face.

Speed rolled his eyes at Spritle, but just moved the seat back in order to accommodate both of them, and drove them home.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

As soon as everyone was informed, Speed and Trixie were off. They left under the pretense of getting ready for their wedding, but the wedding really wasn't taking place until well into the next year.

Instead, they drove to the nearest cross-country track, which was a few miles outside the city, where they met with the Inspector Detector.

Corruption between big race owners was still there, but Royalton's had been the worst. But with him in jail, the others had moved up a step, which caused them all to gain from what Royalton Industries lost.

The goal of meeting with the Inspector Detector was to work out a way for Speed to race and take down some of the corruption.

"Sir, if you have a need of help, I'm willing to come race some cross-country tracks," Speed said once pleasantries were finished.

The Inspector nodded. "I do have a need for someone to help me, now that you mention it. You'd be working with X again, but as I understand it, you two seem to get along quite well."

"We have similar goals, yes," Speed said, glancing at Trixie and rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, the movement discreet yet noticeable to anyone paying any amount of attention.

"That's good, I hope. Now, we'll need to give the Mach 6 the same updates as your previous car and you'll start racing next race. Of course, if this is a deal that you agree to take on the big corporations."

Speed nodded, shaking the Inspector's hand. "Deal."

* * *

**Slightly longer chapter. Hope you enjoyed, any response is nice as usual.**

**Here's a picture of the ring Speed gave Trixie. Just take out the spaces to see it:**

_**http:// /images/ Sterling-Silver-Rhodium-Plated-Genuine-Emerald-Diamond-Accent-Rose-Cut-Ring-sr-cbgh-cfaw .jpg**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter tres en **_**Road to Freedom**_**! (That's 'Chapter 3 in **_**Road to Freedom'**_** if you didn't understand my badly butchered Spanish.)**

**Also, this chapter seems different because I was using a different document to type it.**

* * *

"_Is this a game to you? Because this isn't just a game!"_

"_No, it's not a game to me. It's more than that."_

"_Oh? Enlighten me."_

"_It's a business, a sport, a game, and even more than that. This race alone can make or break someone. Someone like you."_

-Speed and Taejo, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

After making the deal with the Inspector Detector, the Mach 6 was upgraded with the same features the Mach 5 had been updated with: A for the jump jacks, B for the bullet-proof deflector over the top, C for tire shields, D for emergency spares, E for cutter blades, F for tire grips, and G for the homing robot.

Once that was finished, Speed and Trixie began to head for home, stopping to pick up a few things that Mom had asked them to pick up: milk, bread, peanut butter, and jelly. PB and J went quickly in the Racer household, with groceries needed for the creation of the treats needing to be picked up at least once, if not twice, a week.

Three days later, a party was held for Speed's 19th birthday. A cake was baked between Trixie and Mom while Pops, Sparky, Speed, and Spritle, followed closely by Chim Chim, were ushered out of the house.

"Hurmph," Pops grunted, turning and stepping into his car. Sparky climbed into the passenger of Pops' car, while Spritle and Chim Chim sat next to Speed in the Mach 6. Pops led the way to Thunderhead, where he sat and timed Speed. Sparky was up in the booth, watching Speed from above with Chim Chim and Spritle by him.

Speed was racing hard, trying to see what he needed for adjustments after the upgrades had been installed. _Left corner's just a bit tight_, he decided when he reached the moguls of the track. But it did not seem to slow him down; in fact, he raced one of his best times yet.

"You could easily beat Rex!" Spritle cheered through the intra-communications system. Speed winced, not only from the volume in his ear but also from the Rex comment by his little brother.

"Yeah, suppose so," he said to Spritle. It seemed enough for the youngest Racer member, who then wanted to ride in the car.

"Yeah, OK. Hold on just one sec," Speed said to the excited young boy as he adjusted the seat to fit both of them. Spritle eagerly clambered into his brother's lap and grasped the steering wheel as Speed closed the door.

"Tell me when to go," he said, placing his hands just above where Spritle's pudgy ones rested. The younger nodded, then called for Speed to start.

They raced around the track, and Speed grinned down at his brother. "Tell me when to speed up for the jump!" he called, faintly recalling Rex saying almost the same thing when he had been Spritle's age.

"Now?"

"No."

A moment later heard a cry of, "Now!" and the Mach 6 took off for the jump, easily clearing the gap between the sections of track.

"That was awesome!" Spritle shouted when they had come to a stop. He leaped from the car and ran over. "Pops! Pops! Did you see me? Did I do good?"

"Yes you did," Pops said, semi-glaring at Speed over the shoulder of his youngest. Speed shrugged.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Speed, happy birthday to you!" was the singing of the family until there was a loud roar from outside, not unlike when Royalton from Royalton Industries visited in his private jet. But this was the sound of a car.

"What the hell?" Pops muttered as he went to open the door at the knock.

"Speed, it's for you!" Pops yelled, stomping back into the room, followed closely by Taejo Tagokhan. Taejo smirked at Speed.

"Let's talk," Speed said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the garage. Taejo shrugged and followed Speed out.

"What do you expect to gain from coming here?" Speed all but growled, his eyebrows scrunched together in controlled anger.

Taejo scoffed, coming around to look Speed in the eyes. "Answers," he said.

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Speed said loftily, crossing his arms in defiance of Taejo.

Taejo's nostrils flared. "Is this a game to you? Because this isn't just a game!"

"No, it's not a game to me. It's more than that."

"Oh? Enlighten me."

"It's a business, a sport, a game, and even more than that. This race alone can make or break someone."

"Someone like you?"

"Could be. What does it matter to you?"

"I don't know what you're trying to pull, Racer," Taejo suddenly snarled. "But it isn't gonna fly where I race. You'll get killed, and what will that gain you? Stay where you're at if you know what's good for you. But then again," Taejo suddenly said with a smirk plastered on his face. "Your brother didn't know what was good for him either. And look where that got him. You and Rex Racer are exactly alike."

"I think you'd better leave."

"I think you'd better watch yourself, Racer. Listen to a girl like what you have now. They now what's good for the ones who can't figure it out themselves."

"Well then, better get yourself one of them. Because my girl's behind me 100%."

"You wait. You'll die out there, and then where will you be? Nowhere." With that, Taejo left out the garage door. His car roared to life, shaking the garage's shelving. Speed could hear the squealing of tires as Taejo spun them. Shaking his head, Speed rejoined his party.

* * *

**Well, chapter numero tres is finished! Hope you enjoyed and please drop me a line in form of review? This chapter was a blast to write because of the confrontation and the argument and everything.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 of **_**Road to Freedom**_** is brought to you by:**

_**Racer Family Auto Racing. We're an independent company determined to bring better racing to the World Racing League (WRL) and show the world that at least one racer runs as an independent! Call 1-800-555-5555 for more information today and to speak with one of the Racer Family representatives. Please call between the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. **_**(Phone number will not direct you to the Racer family. Family will not be home during hours of service.)**

**We hope you enjoyed your false advertising and that you caught the misdirecting phone number. Now, on to chapter 4!**

* * *

"_It isn't about you Speed!"_

"_You're right; it's about the people I can save."_

-Speed and Pops, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

Later that evening, Speed began packing clothing for the race, his first for this season in the cross-country, which would take place in two days and was several miles away. Pops came in and stood in the doorway for a moment, then cleared his throat, causing Speed to jump.

"What are you packing for, Speed?" Pops asked, walking into the room and gesturing to the nondescript black suitcase.

"A trip with Trixie. We're going to the mountains."

"There aren't any races that you'd be racing in," Pops muttered, slamming a meaty hand on the bed. "What are you really packing for?"

"A trip to-"

"I know you're not really going on a mountain trip!" Pops exploded, interrupting Speed. "You're packing for something else! A race, by the looks of it. You don't take your racing suit on a mountain vacation! What do you think I am, blind?"

"No, Pops. I don't think you're blind! You just don't understand what I'm doing!" Speed shouted back, abandoning his packing to turn to his father and yell back.

"Oh yes I do!" Pops yelled. "The only reason you're packing is for a race! And the only race coming up is the cross-country one at the River's Edge Off-Road Course!"

"Well, maybe I want to try it!" Speed growled, glaring at his father and abandoning the pretense of packing.

"Are you crazy?! That course is too damn dangerous! Rex tried racing it once, and he was lucky to make it out alive. That was when I actually LET him go try a cross-country race! It's more dangerous than Casa Cristo's Crucible! I already lost Rex, I don't want to lose another son!"

"I'm not gonna die! What happened to you realizing your mistake with Rex and not wanting to repeat it, huh?"

Pops finally lost what little grip he'd regained on his anger. "This isn't about you Speed!" he screamed at his second-oldest child.

"You're right; it's about the people I can save," Speed said, suddenly not screaming. His voice was low, smooth, and held no animosity towards his father. Speed turned and finished packing quickly. Pops stood there for a minute, watching as Speed dragged the suitcase to the door.

"Speed, I don't want you to get hurt. Just-just know that, well…" Pops' mustache trembled for a moment, and he rushed to the slight frame of his son and enveloped him in a hug.

"Pops!" Speed gasped, trying to get air into his semi-crushed lungs. "Don't worry, I'll make sure I get out in one piece."

"You'd better, you still got a girl to marry," Pops said, hiding the tears he didn't want to shed and setting his son down. "You're welcome to come back; that offer still stands."

Speed smiled. "I won't forget about it," he answered, turning to see Trixie waiting for him in the hall. "Ready?" he asked, lacing his fingers in hers.

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Always," she smiled. The two of them, followed by Pops, walked out to the garage where the Mach 6 was waiting, along with Trixie's bag for the trip.

Mom was waiting for them in the garage with a large paper bag, which she handed to Trixie. "Food," she said to Trixie's inquiring look. Trixie nodded, and then was given a hug by Mom. "Keep him from killing himself," she whispered in her ear. She then turned to Speed and gave him an even bigger hug. "Don't kill yourself," she murmured into his ear.

After opening the trunk to put the bags in and to make sure that Spritle and Chim Chim weren't in there, Speed and Trixie were climbing into the Mach 6. Mom and Pops waved them off, and the two of them sped into the gathering dusk.

Sparky and Spritle, followed by Chim Chim, came into the garage at the sound of the Mach 6 leaving. "What's going on?" Sparky asked.

"Just watching Speed leave," Pops grunted as an answer, heading into the house.

"Why'd he leave?" Spritle asked, a stricken look on his face.

"Because he had to," Mom answered, looking forlorn in the direction Speed and Trixie had left in.

"He-he'll come back, right Mom?" Spritle asked, tears welling into his eyes.

"Yes honey," Mom answered, scooping the boy up. In her head, she repeated a mantra of _He has to. He has to. He will. I hope. I hope. I hope…_

* * *

**By far the most angst happened in this chapter so far. That was chapter 4. We will now take a commercial break while our viewers call in (coughreviewswouldbenicecough) and we will rejoin you for chapter 5 in just a few minutes (or days)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: Advisor! Please inform these wonderful people that chapter 5 of **_**Road to Freedom**_** is now here!**

**Advisor: Attention readers! The writer has informed me of an important breakthrough that I must share with you! Chapter 5 of **_**Road to Freedom**_** is now available for viewing! That will be all. Thank you.**

**An important note: I promise that Trixie and Speed WILL be married eventually! It will either be the end of this story, in an outtake, or part of a sequel. Keep an eye out for updates of when I think they will be married! If not here or in a sequel, look for an outtake from this story.**

**Also, this chapter is the final confrontation for now. Three in a row is plenty! There probably will be more; I don't know yet however.**

* * *

"_It doesn't matter now. Rex Racer is gone, and Racer X is what's left."_

"_You're wrong. You might not look like you used to, but you're still family, and you're still my older brother. By blood or by association."_

-Speed and Racer X, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

Speed and Trixie drove through the night, switching partway through their journey, then they switched once more so that Speed was driving when they reached River's Edge. There, they were met by the Inspector Detector and Racer X.

"Glad you two could make it," X said dryly. "It's only, you know, one day before the race."

"Yeah, well, my father wasn't too keen on the idea of us leaving for this race," Speed muttered. He noticed the wince that X tried to suppress, but instead of calling him on it, he continued with, "But we got here at least. And that's what counts, especially since it wasn't after the race."

"Yes. However, we do have a few things to go over before you begin the race," Inspector Detector coughed, motioning for them to follow.

The three followed the Inspector into the building, where he held out two briefs: one for X and one for Speed. "I apologize," he said to Trixie, "but we were uncertain whether or not you would be coming as well."

"That's OK," Trixie said, looking over Speed's shoulder.

"What we have here is your case file. This is what you are trying to accomplish, of course. We have intelligence of the corruption in all of the major corporations, as well as many of the smaller ones, save for the few independents that are left.

"Our reports from the agents in the field are mostly the same. They start with small bets in the races. Then they begin sabotaging the races in order to win their bigger bets. Finally, it turns to them getting together and casting the vote on who will win the final race.

"We are in danger of letting them start a world takeover if we do not stop them now. You need to win as many of the races as you can so we can discover who is pocketing this money that was obtained illegally in the first place," the Inspector finished. "When you win the race, whoever bet against you will be very unhappy, and we would be able to take them down. Do you both understand?"

X nodded, of course, but Speed had a question. "How do you believe that by us winning, they'd let you know who was angry about it?"

"We have operatives in very high positions in the companies," X answered before the Inspector could.

"Yes, that is how we find them. The operatives have garnered positions very close to the CEOs of these corporations, and are very trusted. They will know when their 'bosses,' as it stands right now, lose quite a bit of money."

Speed nodded. "We can do this," he murmured to Trixie, who smiled into his cheek stubble.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

That evening found Speed out on the patio. Racer X sighed as he joined Speed by the railing.

"Kid-"

"Don't start."

X was kinda shocked. Speed was usually an easy-going guy, which meant he normally wouldn't just blow someone off like that.

"All right, what is it? Girls, you family, what?"

"You."

"Me." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, you. Lying about who you are. Deny it all you like," Speed turned to glare at X, "but I know that you are most certainly Rex."

"Now Speed, you don't understand…"

"Oh, no, I understand perfectly." Speed snorted and turned back to stare at the stars. "You blew up your car and changed something about your looks. Wear that mask so no one knows who you are. Oh, yeah, and you can't forget who your parents are, your family, your heritage, your brother." Speed choked, but kept going.

"You left us. Me. I idolized you, wanted to be exactly, _exactly_ like you. Then…you just left. Didn't explain anything to your little brother before! Just 'Oh, by the way, Speedy, I'm leaving. Nothing personal. I just gotta get out of Pops' house!' And I asked to go with you! Did you even think about what that would've done to me?!" Speed was yelling, tears in his eyes, by the end of his rant.

"Speed, I know that was hard for you. Yes, I will admit to you: I was Rex. _Was._ I'm not anymore."

"You're always Rex Racer, no matter what you look like or try to change your name to," Speed snorted.

"It doesn't matter now. Rex Racer is gone, and Racer X is what's left."

"You're wrong. You might not look like you used to, but you're still family, and you're still my older brother. By blood or by association."

"Speedy…"

"No, don't even TRY to refute me on this. Racer X, Rex Racer, doesn't matter. Both are my brother, Rex and X." Speed thought for a moment, then added, "Or at least X is, if what you're trying to tell me is accurate."

X nodded in amusement. "So…you willing to forgive me?"

"Yeah."

After a moment's hesitation, Speed reached over and enveloped his long-lost-but-not-really brother in a hug.

"Awww…"

"Trixie!"

"Oh, you two are so goofy. Why don't boys like girls seeing them hug? It's adorable! Especially since you guys are brothers. And that he's gonna be my brother-in-law now."

"You guys getting married?"

"Yep."

"Good luck Speedy."

* * *

**Me: One-half of the story later in an empty house and we are getting somewhere fast! I hope so anyway.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, kiddies, it's time for chapter 6! It is finally time for (drum roll please) …**

**RACE DAY!!!!!**

**Yeah! (crowd cheering, but is really kid!Speed making his own cheers because he won an imaginary race)**

**Uh…well, then. Let's hop to it, shall we?**

* * *

"_Get out of there!"_

"_I can't!"_

"_Yes you can!"_

"_No!_

"_You have to!"_

"_I know!"_

-Racer X and Trixie, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

"All drivers to your cars, please; all drivers to your cars."

The announcement rang throughout the mostly empty locker room. Only X, Speed, and Trixie remained; the three of them pored over the map of the entire course. At the announcement, they rolled it up, Trixie taking it and heading to her helicopter in order to help the two of them through the race.

"I won't let anything happen to him," X said determinedly to Trixie when she looked at Speed in a mix of love, fear, and anxiety. She nodded to him, grateful for the promise.

"Let's head out then," Speed said, giving Trixie a kiss before placing his helmet on.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

The race was long and arduous, with a twisting track that wound through the city and the outer reaches, even going through a farm's pasture at one point.

Trixie hovered above the course with the rest of the helicopters; seeing as they were not on a track that stayed in one area, helicopters were necessary not only for intra-communications, but also for allowing the drivers to know what would be ahead of them and how close they were to the lead (or who was closest behind you, depended).

Speed and X were closer to the front of the pack than in Casa Cristo. Only three teams were ahead of them this time, and as the countdown continued and the one who would be shooting the gun stepped onto the track, Speed began to have slight doubts. This was a long, long course, full of drivers with deceit intent in their minds and money on their fingertips. What chance did two drivers stand on this?

But his doubts were wiped away once the woman's hand raised in order to shoot the starting gun.

_Three…Two…One…_

**!…!…!…!…!BOOM!…!…!…!…!**

The gun went off, drivers pushing the gas pedal until it reached the metal underneath the dash of their cars.

X and Speed were no exception, their wheels spinning as well. They recovered quickly, and were off.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Back at the Racer household, the entire family, including Sparky and Chim Chim, gathered on the couch in order to watch the cross-country race.

"There he is!" Spritle called, pointing at the Mach 6 on the large screen.

"Him and that Racer X guy," Pops said indifferently, but he was leaned forward as well as Spritle and Sparky.

"I hope he's all right," Mom fretted.

"He'll be fine," Sparky said. "Except if he gets in an accident and the protective gel doesn't get released. Then he'll be crushed by his car. Guts squeezed out his eyeballs and-"

"SPARKY!" the rest of the family, save for Chim Chim, screamed.

"All right, yeesh," Sparky said, eyes widened drastically in shock.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

In the helicopter above River's Edge Off-Road Course, Trixie was having similar thoughts as Sparky, but she was not voicing those aloud. Instead, she was relaying information about the upcoming track to the two drivers below her. They were communicating with her and each other, telling each other what to expect the further they reached in the race.

"Watch out for those girls in pink!" Speed called to X over the communications system.

"Don't worry about me and them, I-whoa!"

"Get out of there!" Trixie yelled, watching in horrified near-silence at what was happening to X below her

"I can't!"

"Yes you can!"

"No!

"You have to!"

"I know!"

"You have to. You have to. You have to," Trixie repeated over the communications, worry evident in her voice.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

In the Racer house, the air was not much better. "What happened?" Spritle asked, trying to find a way to see what was going on. Pops and Sparky had stood, and were now blocking the television so they could yell at the television.

"Something's happened to you brother's partner," Pops said. "No, NO! Not that way!"

"Try the jacks! I know you have them!" Sparky yelled.

"Speed can't-he's going to do it! NO, don't do it!" Pops screamed, the memory of Rex's try at this course coming back in horrible Technicolor detail.

"_Watch out, Rex, you've got about five miles left in the course," Pops said into the microphone of his earpiece._

"_Gotcha Pops," Rex answered, and Pops could literally hear the smile in his son's voice. Rex was currently leading, of course he'd be happy._

_The race continued in this fashion for about another mile, then some of the other contestants had snuck up behind Rex. One of the people Rex had become friendly with was in trouble, and Rex had gone to help him._

"_Rex, no!" Pops screamed as Rex tried a risky maneuver in order to free the caught driver. It worked; the driver was free, but Rex had crashed and nearly lost his life._

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Speed drove in close, his bumper and the other driver's nearly kissing. Racing side-by-side like this for several hundred feet, Speed suddenly pulled away, pressing A on his steering wheel. He immediately flipped, seeming to go away from the tangle, then switching direction and ramming into the car.

The crash jostled all four cars, causing the offending cars to be jerked away from X's racer. It allowed X to speed ahead, leaving Speed to deal with the cars.

Suddenly, grips shot out and trapped the Mach 6 in an iron grip. Speed tried to use the jacks to get himself out, but all that happened was him flipping over the car attached to him. The cables that were attached to the grips lengthened, going over the top of its host car, grips still attached to the Mach 6.

Speed was now trapped in an open-roof car, being dragged along the rest of the race.

* * *

**Hey, anyone who may be thinking 'OMG! These characters are turning into such perfect people! It's attack of the Mary Sue and Gary Stu!' I don't intend for them to be that way, and I am working to remedy that as we speak-well, read anyway. I tend to have a bit of a problem when it comes to character development :D Suggestions for helping me with this would be a welcome feedback. It's also kinda bad when I can pick it out myself ^-^'**

**Also, thank you SO MUCH to racergirl182! Your kind words, although few, have basically made my week! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Transfer complete. You may read chapter 7 of **_**Road to Freedom**_** at your leisure.**

**Hip hip hooray for chapter 7!**

**There's a pretty big surprise in this chapter, and don't ask me HOW they found the time for this, but I've got it all planned out already! So don't worry about the finer details, I'll explain it all at the end!**

**Also, the extent of my medical knowledge is how to apply a band-aid to myself. Which I normally have trouble with anyway (that's another story entirely…please do not ask) so all the medical jargon is gibberish-y Greek to me! I went with the most likely things that would have happened.**

**And if you haven't noticed by now, I'm totally taking liberties with this story. Want a timeline? PM me and I'll let you know how it's playing out right now.**

* * *

"_I have to do this. For you, and everyone-I mean _everyone_. I'll be back, don't worry."_

-Speed, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

Speed's only dragged for a minute or so when his rescue bubble kicks in, saving him from further injury. But as he is checked over by the medical professionals that arrive on-scene, he decides on several things: firstly, never get dragged in an upside-down car. Next, don't lose your helmet when doing said activity. Finally: don't flip when attached to another car, you are able to avoid the resulting incidents entirely.

The first-responders (of a sort anyway) pronounced him fine, save for a few bits of glass in his face and a strained neck muscle. The glass was removed easily, with antiseptic applied and bandages on the larger areas affected.

X managed to catapult their team into third, finishing this portion of the race easily. He came back to the locker room, finding Speed and Trixie having a talk. Or, actually, Trixie talking to Speed about him 'not ever doing that again, did he even think about her? And what about his family? His long-lost dead-but-not-really brother, younger brother, and what about himself? Did he stop to think about what this may do to his career or what if he hadn't been wearing his helmet? And what about their baby?!'

X and Speed both did a spit-take, or would have had they been drinking anything at the time.

"I-you-us-baby?" is all that Speed's shocked brain could handle at that moment, gibberish flying a mile-a-minute out of his mouth.

X wasn't much better. "When would you guys have had time for THAT?!" he cried. "That-that's not to say I'm not happy for you. I am. But do we really have time for that? We still have to another two sections of race left! Two!"

"I know!"

"We really-I have no idea what we really need to do right now!" X threw up his hand and sat on the recently-vacated bench that Speed had previously been occupying.

Speed had stood a moment before, wonder on his face, staring at Trixie's still-flat belly. "Baby," he murmured.

"Yes, we've established this, Speed! Now, what we have to do is come up with a plan for…" X's words were wasted; Speed was too busy feeling Trixie's belly to even listen.

"Great; neither of them are listening to me. I might as well be talking to the wall." He hesitated a moment, then turned and said, "Hello, wall. I should just be having a conversation with you. What's that? Oh, yes, thank you! Someone gets what I'm trying to say at least!"

"I hear you, X, but my mind's not quite connecting. Gimme a minute," Speed said. He straightened a second later. "OK, continue."

X sighed. It was going to be a long day, not that it wasn't already. "All right, so. Hooray for you two, you're having a baby. Now, we have to come up with a plan that we can use to sneak into corporate headquarters to get to the big bosses. But we can't do that unless we win. And to win, we have to fix the Mach 6 and the Mach 9 before tomorrow."

"I know. We could call-"

"I know we can call Sparky, but he won't know how to fix any of the defenses or anything. We'll let the scientists do it."

Speed seemed about to argue, then nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly.

X left a moment later, knowing the two would want a moment alone.

"When…"

"About a month or two." Trixie laughed, nerves evident in it. "I always wanted a child with you, just not…now."

"I'm the same. I always, always dreamed of our child since we started dating. I mean, this is great! But…"

"But what?" Trixie asked, her hand coming up to feel Speed's cheek, course with stubble.

"I want our kid to grow up without me having to do all this.

"Speed-"

"No, Trixie, listen. This gives me just one more reason to fight them. You know I can't give up racing. And I know how to balance racing with family."

"I know this Speed, but you don't have-"

"I have to do this. For you, and everyone-I mean _everyone_," he added, caressing her still-flat belly. "I'll be back, don't worry." Speed took Trixie's warm hand in his own, pressing it gently to his lips. "I promise."

* * *

**I was totally procrastinating this entire chapter, so I'm really sorry about the wait.**

**Good news: Sequel will come once this is finished! I am currently working on it on paper, so it will be up very shortly after this is finished. Posted along with this will be another story surrounding Speed, Trixie, and their child. It'll be oneshots in their home and family life. Sequel's title is **_**Speed of Sound**_**, and the oneshot story's title is **_**That's a First**_**! Be sure to keep your eye out for these.**

**Semi-good-bad news: I owe you guys an explanation on the baby. The baby was conceived about a month before the story started, and where the wedding is planned, the child will be born before they are married. I really wanted them to have a kid for the sequel, but I didn't want to just completely blind you with it. I still did, but I feel it wasn't as bad.**

**Bad news has two parts. First, I don't have anymore prewritten chapters (at least not totally). Never fear for I will try not to take forever to post again. Second, I don't need names for the child because I was watching another movie and inspiration for child name just popped into my head. Which means that while baby names are a wonderful way to review, I really don't need them until Speed and Trixie have another kid (because you know they will!)**

**Thanks to anyone who is still with this story.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Welcome to Chapter 8 of **_**Road to Freedom**_**. We are getting into the final few chapters *crying in background* but we will have more in the sequel! *cheering***

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, for we will not be too much longer until the end. Two more parts after this if I've planned it right.**

**I'm also trying something new. Instead of little snippets of other life that is happening at the same time, I am playing out a scene, then going technically back in time in order to play another scene. When they meet, it'll be the end of the chapter.**

**This chapter features a mini-confrontation and bit bigger of a confrontation. This is more a filler-chapter than anything else.**

**Also a TRILLION AND ONE thanks to racergirl 82 for the wonderful review and the offer of help with all things medical! I really appreciate you offering to help!**

* * *

"_I'm going after him."_

"_Speed, you can't!"_

"_I can and I will."_

"_I'm coming with you then."_

-Speed and Spritle, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

Two days later found Speed, X, and Trixie headed back, exhausted yet happy. In the end, they'd taken second with no more bad wreaks to speak of. It'd been touch and go, with the team finally making it almost a photo-finish for second.

X had gone in a northern direction, saying something about talking to the Inspector before heading west to where the major corporations were. Speed and Trixie had gone south toward the Racer household. It was an easy ride now that they weren't completely pressed for time, and they took 3 days instead of two.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Pops was gently napping in the living room when the gentle roar of a car engine woke him. He grumbled for a moment, then awoke fully when Spritle came racing in, shouting, "Speed's home! Speed's home!" Sparky, Chim Chim, and Mom were following behind in order to greet the two who were just getting home.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Speed and Trixie pulled up to the garage, parking in the driveway instead of pulling in. Speed grabbed the two bags, taking them in the door Trixie held open. He blinked in shock; the family had gathered in order to welcome them home.

"Uh, hi?" Speed tried, but was outvoted when he and Trixie were mobbed by Mom, who pulled the bags from his hands and set them down. She pulled the two into the kitchen. Sparky grabbed the luggage, taking them in and setting them inside the garage door.

Pops was waiting in the kitchen. He said, rather gruffly, "You shouldn't have done that in the race." He then gave them a small smile and said, "Glad you two are back."

Mom sat down a plate of sandwiches. "You two, eat!" she said, pointing to them and then to the sandwiches.

Speed looked at Trixie, smiling and gesturing for her to sit first. She did, taking a PB and J to eat. Speed sat, taking another sandwich and immediately eating it, savoring the mix of flavors on his tongue. Trixie did the same, eating almost ravenously.

"Did you two not eat or something?" Mom said with faint disapproval, watching them eat.

Speed turned to Spritle, who he'd been tuning out. "Yes, Spritle, we got a good placing. What?"

Spritle stopped jumping around, gasping a really deep breath. "Did you guys get to meet anyone important?!"

"Yes, the second place finishers get to meet with some of the more minor corporations. Why?"

"'Cause I just wanted to know," the little boy said, running off to play with his pet.

Trixie shook her head with a smile on her face. Her look said _Get used to it. We'll have one like that soon enough._

Speed rolled his eyes, but grinned all the same.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

That night, Speed gently stole out of his room. His duffle was still by the kitchen's door to the garage, but that wasn't what he was after. He was headed for the Mach 6, and attempting not to wake Trixie or the rest of the house. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

"Where you going?"

The small voice made Speed stop and turn. Spritle stood behind him, fully dressed for some reason and rubbing his eyes free of sleep.

"Nowhere, go back to bed."

"You're going somewhere," Spritle said, coming closer to Speed. He looked up at his taller brother. "Does it have to do with Racer X?"

It was no use lying to him. "I'm going after him."

Spritle gasped. "Speed, you can't!"

"I can and I will."

"I'm coming with you then," the still-small-but-not-quite boy said, heading for the garage door.

"Spritle, I can't do that."

"You're not, I am."

Speed rolled his eyes. "All right, fine. But you're going to have to be really quiet!"

Spritle nodded enthusiastically, heading for the Mach 6 in the driveway.

With his younger brother where Trixie normally sat, Speed was off in the night, headed for California and hoping to make it in time to meet X.

* * *

X was right where he needed to be, but it was the wrong time. He'd walked into the Inspector's office to find the CEO of Togokhan Industries leaving. X glared at the man, but didn't say anything as he walked into the Inspector's office.

"Ah, X! Or should I say, Mr. Racer? You have been having an identity crisis, correct?"

Years of working with the Inspector kept X from asking how he'd known. "What was Togokhan doing here?" he demanded, leaning on his hands on the desk in front of the Inspector.

The Inspector spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "What can I say? Business is business. His just happens to be one of the best."

"So you do business with a known criminal?! Well, what am I surprised for?" X snorted, standing straight and turning. "It's always about money, even in 'honorable' businesses." X walked to the door, then turned once more to look at the Inspector. "I'll do this last job, but know this: I'm done. After this, find someone else to do your dirty work while you double-deal on the side." With that, X stormed from the office.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

X's Mach 9 sped along the back roads towards California. It was doing something therapeutic to the man, letting tension ease from his shoulders and face and helping his anger to dissipate some.

"Ah, what do I care?" X said to himself. "I told him I was done. I'll start my own inside jobs. He was just the launch for me."

But as X continued to grow ever-closer to California, it became harder to tell himself that.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

X pulled into Los Angeles, where Togokhan Industries was centered. He pulled up a block away from the corporation, marveling at the fact that the few pedestrians roaming the streets seemed oblivious to the mark of illegal, the epitome of the betting pools of all the races around the world, that was right in their backyards. X stepped out of his car and leaned up against it, facing the large building.

Hearing another car pull up, X looked over, the looked again to check that he'd seen right. The Mach 6 had just pulled up, with Speed and Spritle exiting the vehicle.

"Hi!" Spritle shouted, racing over to greet X.

"Thought you were doing this alone?" Speed smirked at his brother.

"No, I was actually wondering why you brought him," X said, pointing at Spritle.

"Don't ask," Spritle and Speed said together.

It was the best laugh X had had in a _long_ time

* * *

**Well, what do you think? Personally, I liked how this turned out. It flowed a lot better than I thought it would.**

**Drop me a line through review, I get bored talking to myself over here! And I gave you two in a day to make up for missing several days' worth of updating.**

**Last few parts should be posted within the week, but with a band trip on Thursday night and not getting home 'til late from that, then going BACK TO THE SAME CITY to participate in Sate Forensics, I probably won't update either of those days. Hopefully this'll be done by then though and I'll be well into writing the sequel and everything.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, folks, we're down to the nitty-gritty of the story and the main event chapter! This chapter features the break in the tension between X and Speed with Togokhan with Spritle helping out. But I won't keep ruining it for you. This chapter was originally going to be long with all of the ending, but I decided to make it into a two-part climax that are slightly-shorter-but-still-long. For now, on with Chapter 9 of **_**Road to Freedom**_**! I'm doing that backtrack thing again, so you get both parts of the thing. You'll see what I mean. There's also a bit more language in this chapter.**

**Also, I thought Spritle needed a bigger part, which is why he got to tag along.**

**Again, taking liberties! The cartoon Speed's eyes were blue, so I'm making movie Speed's eyes blue too, even though Emile Hirsch's eyes are brown.**

* * *

"_Is it always like this?"_

"_It's not always this easy, Spritle."_

"_Seems easy to me."_

"_Listen to Speed, kid. It seriously shouldn't be this easy."_

"_It's not anymore."_

"_Well, that's a bust."_

-Speed, Spritle, Racer X, and a Togokhan Industries guard, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

"So, what's the game plan?" Speed asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"We need to get in, obviously. From the schematics I studied on the way, there should be some narrow venting shafts around the back side of the building. There's also three guard rotations, and there'll be one in 20 minutes. Plenty of time. They'll probably take about 5 minutes, which means whoever's going in-" Here, he paused and looked at Speed, the skinniest of the group- "will need to get in quickly. We'll put the vent back and take out the guards in the back in order to get in. The door will be locked, which is why you need to go in the vent, Speed."

"Wait, wait, what? Why me?!"

"You're the skinny one," Spritle said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms to close the matter.

Speed turned to X, applying for mercy. "You've got the schematics memorized, why don't you do it?" he asked, blue eyes glaring.

X shrugged. "Can't fit," he said simply. "Anyway, as I was saying, you'll go in. Once you get in, you'll find several other paths leading off. Follow the one you're in until you reach the sixth on the left, not sixth total. Turn in that sixth one and go for 20 feet. You'll find a vent leading to your right. Follow that one until you reach the end."

"You know I'm going to get lost, right?"

"When you get to the end, you'll be five, six hundred feet to the back doors. They'll be on your right. We'll have the guards out, you just need to evade the watch and let us in."

"How can you get lost from that, Speed?" Spritle asked, confused. "You race and don't get lost."

"That's because I have someone telling me where to go just before I get there!" Speed said, attempting to keep his voice normal.

"Quit whining. It's not like you're going for miles with just those directions." X then groaned, rolling his eyes and checking his watch. "We've still got 15 minutes, want me to go over the directions again?"

The three stood there for a while longer, then headed over toward the building.

"Know where you're going?" X asked for a final time.

"Got it," Speed said, tapping his temple.

Together, they lifted the outer grate off. No guards were in sight; they'd timed it perfectly.

"OK, up," X said quietly, near whisper, as he laced his fingers together and forming a step. Speed stepped into the hand, and X boosted his hand up as Speed pulled himself up. He went in headfirst, with just enough room to wiggle his hand around to give them a thumbs-up. X got the grate back up by himself with little trouble, making it appear as though they hadn't been there.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

X checked his watch again. "OK, kid, let's get back a ways. The guards will be back anytime. We'll wait a minute, then get the two by the door."

"You sure know a lot about the guard rotations," Spritle said suspiciously.

X shrugged. "That's part of my job," he said, motioning for the boy to follow. They hid in the bushes, sneaking their way farther to the door.

X could see into the doors, and watched as a guard walked past. When he was gone, X leaned close to Spritle. "Now, we're going to separate," he said, words barely audible. "I'll go over toward this side, you go back that way. Don't go too far. I'll distract them, then we'll go in." He handed Spritle a wrapped cloth. "Unwrap this when I cause the distraction, then put it over the mouth and nose. It'll get them down without harming them too much." At Spritle's skeptical look, he defended, "Hey! Archaic it may be, chloroform works!"

Spritle shrugged, but moved off a few feet. X moved also, grasping a rock in his empty hand. Gently, he tossed it out in front of the two.

"What the hell?" One muttered, leaning forward to inspect it. The other rolled his eyes.

"G, it's a rock. What's so great about a rock?"

"Jay, it could be someone's here!"

"Grant-"

It was that moment X and Spritle struck, placing the rags over the guards' noses. They struggled a moment, then passed out.

X dragged both bodies into the bushes. "Now, we hope the others aren't suspicious at these two gone, and Speed gets here soon, huh?" Spritle asked.

X thought a moment, then said, "Yeah, that's about it."

They sat down to wait.

* * *

Speed crawled through the duct, aluminum banging if he put a hand or knee down too hard. The endeavor to be quiet, however, was a tough one, with Speed having to go as slowly as he could to make sure he was silent.

_Sixth on the left. Sixth on the left. Sixth on the left._ That was the mantra replaying its way in Speed's mind.

He found the duct he was supposed to take, then muffled a groan of dismay. The duct went straight up, how high Speed couldn't see. He crawled into the cramped corner, thankful of his lithe frame in order to access the duct. He stood, being as quiet as he could.

Luckily, he could reach it; however, he would be reaching for it. Speed grit his teeth, reaching as far as his arms could. His fingertips grasped it, and he stood on toe-tips to get a better grip.

Speed sighed, then reached one foot up to brace it on the duct wall. If he did it this way, it wouldn't work as well. So he let go, leaving his foot on the wall and pressing his back on the opposite. He braced his arms on the sides and lifted the other foot.

_Now what?_ he thought, then an idea sparked. He let himself down and repositioned himself so he was on the side instead of the back. He did the same as before, but now he could reach the top when he got there.

Shimmying his way to the top proved to be easy; it was the getting to the ledge that was difficult. Speed wished for once that he was shorter; his head hit the top of the shaft when he reached the top. He scooted down a little, enough to still reach easily. He lifted his far arm over, grasping an overlap from where the duct pieces met just a little past the edge. His other arm was pinned, so he shuffled until he could reach out. As he did, he slipped, barely managing to get his other hand to the same lip before he was dangling in the shaft.

Now, however, he was able to pull himself in easily, stopping to catch his breath.

"Thanks, Rex, you sure know how to tell me what's coming," he muttered aloud, subconsciously using his brother's given name.

He easily found the end of the duct, and it came out near the floor of the room. Speed pushed the grate out after checking for people and wiggled and shimmied until he was in the room. Replacing the grate, he took the moment to look out the window and groaned. He was looking down from a second-story window.

He ran out the room without checking, but no guards were in sight. A map was posted a ways from the door; Speed didn't stop to look at it, just grabbed it and rolled it up to carry it. He reached the hall's end, then stopped while on the stairs.

"OK, I'm here," he murmured, pointing at a staircase that seemed most likely. "And I need to get here," he added, pointing at another spot on the map. He rolled it back up and walked down the stairs, finding another map with a bright red 'YOU ARE HERE' arrow.

"Well, I was right at least," Speed said to himself, continuing on.

He made it out into another hall without incident, quietly walking to the first doors he saw. A glance told him no guards were in sight, and he opened the doors.

X and Spritle came from the bushes as he did, brushing themselves off from sitting on the ground.

"What took you so long?" Spritle asked his brother.

"Got lost," Speed admitted. "Which I said I would!" he added, glaring at X, who shrugged.

"Can't blame me for what you did," he shot back.

Spritle rolled his eyes. "Come on, you two!" he said. "You fight like an old married couple."

"Don't say things like that," Speed admonished absently, leading the way after consulting his map again.

10 minutes passed, and the three had made it up 3 levels with minimal fuss.

"Is it always like this?" Spritle asked.

"It's not always this easy, Spritle."

"Seems easy to me."

"Listen to Speed, kid. It seriously shouldn't be this easy." The three's conversation grew slightly louder, enough to catch the attention of a guard.

"It's not anymore," the guard said, stopping them in their tracks.

"Well, that's a bust," Speed groaned as the man led them away. "Although it might be faster than the way we were going."

The guard laughed while X and Spritle rolled their eyes yet again.

* * *

**They certainly do a lot of that, don't they? *giggle* I'm rather happy how this is playing out. I was typing the climbing scene, then said to myself, "If he's staying on the first floor and already went up, why would he be going up again?" then thought, 'Oh duh, he's lost!'**

**2000 words later according to FF, I thought it would be longer, but this is how it panned out. I'm not certain, but it *may* end up being a three-part chapter.**

**Part two of ch. 9 will be up by tomorrow night if not sooner. Happy trails all!**


	10. Chapter 9 part 2

**Part two of chapter 9 is served!**

* * *

"_Let's make a deal."_

"_Please, let's not."_

"_I think we should."_

_"Quiet!"_

"_Aw, let the boy make a deal!"_

"_No. As his older brother, I say he can't!"_

"_Speed!"_

"_I said no. I really don't want Pops killing me for letting you get killed."_

"_But it'd be my fault…"_

"_Doesn't matter, he'd still kill me!"_

-Speed, Spritle, and Togokhan, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

"So…what's your name?" Speed asked, bored, as the guard continued to lead them up.

He glanced behind him. "…Marcus."

"How are you, Marcus?" X asked, doing the same as Speed and trying to make conversation.

"Uh, good. Good, I guess. Why are you talking to me?"

"They're bored," Spritle informed the man dully.

"Ah, a couple of those, eh?" Marcus said knowingly.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You talking about us up there?" X asked, causing Speed and Marcus to break into peals of laughter.

"No duh they're talking about us!" Speed choked out, clapping X's shoulder.

Spritle rolled his eyes. "Only you, Speed, would laugh at this!" he called behind him.

Speed shrugged. "Gotta do something to keep my mind from worrying," he said. X looked sympathetically at him.

"You thinking about what I think you're thinking about?" he asked.

"Well, if you're thinking I'm thinking about what you think I'm thinking about, and I really am, then yeah."

"I do believe I'm thinking about the same thing you're thinking."

"All right, what _are_ you two thinking about?!" Spritle cried, spinning around and causing Speed to trip. Speed grabbed X's shoulder, and he fell as well. The three ended in a tangle on the floor with Marcus looking down at them.

Marcus shook his head. "You guys are a bunch of clowns," he snorted. "No, I take that back. I've seen better break-ins by clowns! What were you thinking, trying to take on Togokhan Industries?!"

"Lots of stuff," Speed said, standing after he'd extracted himself. "We were thinking about this, obviously. Some other thoughts, from me at least, were of my girl, baby names, hope that we wouldn't get caught…"

"All right, I get the point!" Marcus shouted. "Let's-let's just keep going. Please? I really don't want to look like a fool!"

"Fine," X groaned, then muffled under a cough, "Killjoy."

"Quiet!"

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Soon enough, they reached the office of the CEO, whom X had seen leaving the Inspector's office just-was it really just 6 hours previously? Togokhan was turned in his chair, facing a large television screen.

"The men who were breaking in," Marcus said promptly, bowing and backing out of the office.

"Sit, gentlemen, sit," Togokhan waved, still not having turned. After a minute when whatever he was watching turned to commercial, he turned and grinned at them.

"So, you _attempted_ to break in, huh?"

"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds so-depressing. Almost like we hadn't gotten in yet! We did make it in; we even made it to the fourth floor!" Speed said, almost laughing in spite of the grave situation.

Togokhan did laugh, but it was a frightening sound. "That you did. I must congratulate you all on a job well done. Or something of that sort."

"Oh great, he's one of THOSE," X muttered.

"So gentlemen, what did you think of my building? At least what you've seen, anyway," Togokhan asked, leaning back and propping his fingertips together.

"Really nice, actually," Spritle said, plopping himself on the ground.

"Yeah, but I expected more guards," X added, crossing his arms.

"Your venting needs work, though. I'm pretty sure it's not up to code," Speed said, motioning at the walls.

Togokhan waved a hand. "Petty things," he said with a feral smile. "On a grand scale, it will make no difference. With Royalton out of the way, thanks to you two and my son, Togokhan Industries was the next biggest company, perfectly positioned to take over should Royalton screw up. And, of course, he did by attempting to use an _illegal_ item in that race. The fool sealed his own fate, naturally. TI just…helped it along, I guess you could say." The Asian man leaned forward then, a steely glint in his eyes. "Let's make a deal."

"Please, let's not."

"I think we should," Spritle chimed in.

"Quiet!" X shushed.

"Aw, let the boy make a deal!"

"No. As his older brother, I say he can't!" Speed said, glaring once more.

"Speed!"

"I said no. I really don't want Pops killing me for letting you get killed."

"But it'd be my fault…" Togokhan said, rather confused.

"Doesn't matter, he'd still kill me!"

"Trust me, I know their father. He'd do it too," X said, backing Speed's claim.

Togokhan faked a long-suffering sigh. "Pity, they all say that."

"Who, the yahoos you hire?"

"Ah ha ha, very funny. No, the others that fool of an inspector has sent."

"You're working with him," X said, to Speed's shock. "That's what happened to the others. My guess? You needed people to test out defenses, or something. He found you the guys to do it. You were preparing it for something." He paused, then added, "Or someone."

"And when they weren't enough," Speed cut in, just before Togokhan could answer, "you decided that the best way was to take out Royalton. That's why Taejo was trying to incriminate Royalton. He said that he didn't really have information right after we'd won, that he was trying to affect your stocks. You…" Speed trailed off, eyes widening. "You trained someone, enough that they could get into Royalton Industries to get evidence, and waited for the right moment to let it out." He shook his head, applauding. "I have to admit, that's pretty genius of you. But," he added, "it wasn't quite enough, was it? I know, you've been fixing races for years. But what you needed was someone on _your_ side to win it, but Royalton's were obviously the best. By taking out their employer, you'd get the best. Your revenues would soar. And so would the gambling ring's."

"I must admit, you are putting together a lot of evidence against me," Togokhan said, smiling again. "You've even gotten a lot of it right. But there is one thing you missed."

"Oh, I know where this is going," Speed groaned.

Togokhan didn't reply, just continued with, "You, Speed, and you, Racer X. You two are the best racers there are in this world. I want you both on my team."

Neither got a chance to reply, as Taejo chose that moment to burst in. "Oh, so I'm not good enough, am I? Going to send me off packing and hire these two losers?"

Togokhan massaged his temples. "Taejo-"

"No, Dad! I WILL prove myself to you!" He turned to Speed and X. "All right, which one of you wants to race me to show him who REALLY is a winner?! Huh?! Any takers?! Come on, don't be wimps!"

"Taejo, shut up a minute!" Speed and X practically screamed at the same time!

"We really don't want to work for your dad," X explained.

"You…don't?" Taejo asked.

"'Course not," Speed said. "What's he got to offer us?"

"Your lives, perhaps?" Togokhan said, pressing a button on his desk. Several guards burst in, two grabbing Spritle and the others guarding all exits.

"Yeah, that might be something worth it," Speed said to X.

"I have a deal for you," Togokhan said. "You both race against Taejo. If he wins, he stays, you three are allowed to go. If either of you win, both of you work for me and Taejo finds other work. But," he added, "if you lose intentionally or refuse to race, the three of you die."

* * *

**DUN DUN DUN! OK, so, no, not really a cliff-hanger. Next chapter WILL BE IT FOR CHAPTER 9! I promise!**


	11. Chapter 9 part 3

**OK, part 3 of chapter 9, and I absolutely PROMISE this is the last bit of chapter 9 you have to read! Honest!**

**OK, yeah, I don't have a good track record with this chapter so far, but I will type this to the end even if it kills me! Not literally, I hope.**

**Anyway, everybody please take your seats and fasten your seatbelts, we are in for the flight into the final part of our journey until the tenth and final chapter!**

**Hey, just one quick question-is it just me, or did the characters start stiff and become **_**fun**_**?!**

* * *

"_Typical."_

"_Of course."_

"_Not fair."_

"_Spritle, no one ever said everything was fair. Deal with it."_

-Speed, X, and Spritle, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

X pressed his hands into his face, shoulders shaking. It took a moment for everyone to realize he was laughing.

X's palms pressed into his eyes, slowly wiping them and bringing his hands down his cheeks. "Oh, you drive a very hard bargain," he said, tears of mirth and from his hands prickling the corners of his eyes.

"I have a question," Speed asked, raising his hand and looking around. "How will you be able to tell if Taejo beat us or if we let him beat us?"

Togokhan smiled. "Details, details," he scoffed. "We'll be monitoring your cars, of course. If you, for any reason, dip below a certain speed and it is not because of accident or from trying to avoid someone-should I say, some_thing_?-we will take it as a sign you are slowing in order to allow my son to win."

"OK then," Spritle whistled.

"Then…yeah, I think we might have to take that bet," Speed said.

"Most definitely," X replied.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Half an hour later, Togokhan, Taejo, X, Speed, and Spritle were at the local track, with the Mach 6 and 9, along with Taejo's car. Togokhan was explaining the rules.

"You know the stakes, you know what you have to do. When you are racing, you can only follow the rules as set by the WRL. That means no cheating, no using the upgrades in your car, and no foul play. However," Togokhan added, eyes glittering, "my son is allowed to use everything in his arsenal."

"Typical."

"Of course."

"Not fair."

"Spritle, no one ever said everything was fair. Deal with it."

"Well, they should have said everything was fair," Spritle pouted.

Togokhan coughed. "Uh, are you going to stand here and debate this, or will there be a race?" he asked testily.

"Race," Speed and Spritle said at the same time.

"Well, then, let's race!"

When the three drivers were settled in their cars, Togokhan himself came out. "Three laps!" he called, raising the start gun. He pressed the trigger, and they were off.

Speed had intentionally spun his wheels when they began, allowing X and Taejo to shoot ahead of him. His start was slower, but he was quickly past 120, the speed he needed to be above.

The curves came up ahead, the scanner on his car alerting him to the impending danger ahead. The Mach 6 fishtailed around the corners, and Speed saw that he was gaining on the other two.

As for X, he'd made it past the curves and was right up next to Taejo. The younger man launched something at him, and it gripped into the metal side of his car. Jerking the wheel, Taejo and X were swerving all around the course.

X became frustrated. He had the perfect thing that would've gotten rid of it immediately, but he was unable to use it. He settled for trying to time his wheel against Taejo's.

It worked; the grip ripped a hole in the side, but was able to get free. X saw the frustrated snarl on Taejo's face from his car.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Spritle was in the box with Togokhan and a couple guards. He listened in the earpiece for Speed and X, monitoring their communications. Beside him, Togokhan was doing the same for Taejo.

"Speed, X, try to win. It'll be better than losing," Spritle said worriedly, glancing over at Togokhan, who was yelling into his microphone.

"_Gotcha,"_ came Speed's reply, crackling in the outdated headset.

"_I'm almost ready to make a pass,"_ X said in Spritle's ear.

"Good," he said, listening to what Togokhan was yelling.

"You want to win?! Play dirty! Come on! That grip wasn't doing anything to him, or didn't you notice that he managed to pull away?!"

Spritle spoke again, quieter this time. "Guys, Togokhan is telling Taejo to pull out the big guns. You might want to hurry."

* * *

The first lap passed, with Taejo holding a slim lead over X and Speed, both managing to avoid any traps in the course or any by Taejo.

The second lap also passed, with X managing to pull into the lead. Speed was then left to entertain Taejo.

"Speed, watch out!" Spritle shouted. Quieter, he added, "Togokhan just told Taejo to use something called the 'Diamond Blades,' I don't know what that is."

"_I do,"_ came the grim reply.

_**SRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSRSR**_

Speed grew more concerned as the third lap neared the end. If Taejo _really_ wanted to win, he'd make a move now.

And he did, using the blades equipped to his car. One went to the side, near Speed's car, and the other reached out in front the few feet it needed to reach X's car.

"Ah!" Speed shouted, swerving sideways but not slowing. "X, watch out, it's right on your tail!"

"I know!" he shouted back.

"_Guys, stop! You need to WIN, not argue!"_ was the scream from Spritle in the box.

"Kind of hard right now, Spritle!" Speed cried, continuing to dodge swipes by the blade.

The finish line was in sight, and all three cars were next to each other; it was going to be close.

It was a photo-finish, and slow motion replays showed that the cars crossed the line at _almost the exact same time._ The officials didn't quite know what to say.

Togokhan pushed them aside, then chuckled. The chuckle grew into a full laugh, which grew louder and louder.

Finally, he wiped his eyes and applauded. "Bravo, bravo!" he cried. "Now you ALL get to work for me!"

Speed squeezed his eyes shut, nearly crying.

X rolled his eyes. "Great, yay yay. Now, uh, I say…I quit working for you. And, of course, so does Speed. RIGHT, Speed?" he stressed.

"Uh, yeah, yeah! Of course!" Speed said, catching on quickly.

Togokhan shook his head. "Doesn't work like that," he said. "You need to break a contract."

"OK, I'll bet," Speed said, improvising, "you have them made up, right?"

"Yes, of course."

"So, what can't we do?"

Togokhan smiled. "Lose. Or fish after 7 P.M."

Speed checked his watch. "Perfect!" he said. "Now, about those contracts…"

Togokhan whipped them out, and the three signed them. Speed and X laughed. Speed pulled two fishing poles out of the Mach 6.

"Wait, why do you even HAVE those?" Taejo asked, very much confused.

"Trixie and I went fishing a week ago, and I didn't take them out," Speed confirmed.

They raced over to the lake that was nearby. "Hey, wait!" Togokhan shouted. "You're in violation of your contracts!"

"So you have to fire us, right?" X yelled back as they cast their lines.

Togokhan smacked his head. "I _knew_ I shouldn't have put that in there," he groaned.

It was two hours later that found Speed, Spritle, and X leaving Los Angeles. "Well, that was fun," Speed sighed.

"Let's not do it again," X suggested.

"Yeah, good idea."

Laughing, they parted ways, Speed and Spritle headed for home and X off to whatever he did when he wasn't working. Which…wasn't very often that he wasn't.

* * *

**Love it, hate it, thought it was WAY too amusing/lighthearted/funny for a supposedly-grim chapter? Think I need something a little darker for the actual ending? Let me know what you want! Otherwise, I'll just go with something completely inane.**


	12. Chapter 10

**Hi everybody. This chapter is late, I know. I'm sorry. I had a band trip Thursday night and got back at 1:00 in the morning, then left the next day to go to State Forensics, where I got a second (I'm only a freshman, so I was really excited), and then didn't get home until 10:30. I didn't start this before I left, so that's why it's late.**

**However, we're finally at the end. I'm rather sad; I loved writing this for you. Never fear, I have _Speed of Sound_ planned and will be starting it tonight. _That's a First_ will also start tonight, and both will be posted tomorrow.**

**Thank you to everybody who reviewed! Here are the replies:**

**TheVoyager25:** I'm glad for your advice! I'll certainly keep it in mind and try to make the chapters longer for _Speed of Sound_. _That's a First_ chapters will be shorter though, since they're more or less little bits. Some will be longer though. Thank you so much!

**Dragon Reverb:**This is the final bit, though. I'm glad you liked the story.

**racergirl82:** I'm glad you thought it was a good tension breaker; I was having trouble coming up with ideas.

**Again, a HUGE thank you to the reviewers!**

**Now, for the final part of **_**Road to Freedom**_**!**

* * *

"_Don't you EVER do anything like that again, Speed Racer!"_

"_Yes ma'am."_

-Speed and Mom, _Road to Freedom_

* * *

Speed made good time, getting himself and his brother halfway across the country in just over a day. They pulled into the driveway of the house at about 11 P.M., both tired but satisfied.

The entire family came flying out almost as soon as they'd opened the doors, with Trixie and Mom in the lead. Trixie leapt into Speed's arms, her arms around his neck in an instant. "Don't ever do that again," she whispered.

"OK, next time I'll take you," Speed said, kissing her. She giggled, letting him go. He set her down just in time for his mother to grasp him.

"Mom, I can't breathe," he gasped in her hold.

"You shouldn't," she scolded. "What were you thinking? Taking your brother off on some foolhardy something or other, and not even telling us how long you'd be gone! Don't you EVER do anything like that again, Speed Racer!"

"Yes ma'am," Speed said, and his mother let him go.

At about four in the morning, Pops and Speed were in the living room watching an old race rerun. Pops set it on mute and sighed, turning to Speed.

"So, want to tell me where you went?" he asked in his best _not answering is not an option_ voice.

"We went to California to try and get Togokhan Industries shut down," Speed said, sighing as well. "Unfortunately, we got caught and didn't manage it. But we did get to race and had fun fishing to break a contract."

"I'm…not going to ask," Pops muttered. "So, I'm assuming that Spritle tagged along?"

"Almost. He asked where I was going and kinda talked me into it," Speed admitted.

"Yeah, well, sounds like another kid I know," Pops said. "You would've done the same thing. You three boys are all alike."

Speed half-laughed, half-sighed. "I did look up to Rex, and Spritle looks up to me, I guess." Jokingly, he added, "But I'm not sure where Rex got it…any ideas, Pops?"

"I haven't a clue," Pops said airily, looking up. He glanced down again. "I know Rex is proud."

"Yeah," Speed said.

They sat in silence, then a knock came at the door.

"Yes-oh, it's you," Pops muttered. "Come in, I suppose."

Speed glanced up, surprised to see X standing there. "What're you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"Figured I'd stop by with this," X said, tossing a chip at Speed. "I've already got a copy. Taejo slipped it into my car before we left, I guess. There was a note that only said 'Thanks,' but I'd know Taejo's writing anywhere. Anyway, check it out, then call me so we can discuss it later." He turned, then added, "Tell your brother he did good. I forgot to."

X left, leaving Speed holding a small computer wafer and a curious Pops looking at X, then Speed, then the chip.

"Well, let's see what it is," Speed groaned, standing and walking over to the computer.

He booted it, putting the chip in. A list came up, along with budgets, income, expenses, and…

"Is that what I think it is?" Speed muttered, furrowing his brows.

"If you think it's the won bets from fixing races, then yes it is," Pops said in awe. "That son of Togokhan's really gave this to him?"

"Apparently," Speed said. He sat back and whistled quietly. "Well, that's one problem solved."

"So it is," Pops agreed.

A few hours later found Speed and X having talked. They'd sent in the evidence, and the noon news featured the story of Togokhan and his employees being arrested.

"All's well that ends well," Mom sniffed, turning back to their lunch.

"So it is," Speed said, hugging Trixie. "Even if it is cliché as all get-out."

* * *

**And that's that. I'm happy this is done, but sad because it is done. Hope you enjoyed it and will check out both **_**Speed of Sound**_** and **_**That's a First**_**! Thanks to everyone who read this and/or stuck with this to the end!**


End file.
